Western Kentucky 65, Florida International 63

March 11, 2013|Reuters

(Updated: Deletes "-ever" after "second" in GAME NOTEBOOK)

Western Kentucky 65, Florida International 63: George Fant had 17 points and 13 rebounds and the Hilltoppers made it four wins in four days for the second straight season en route to beating the Golden Panthers in Hot Springs, Ark., to claim the Sun Beltâs automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Jamal Crook also scored 17 points and Brandon Harris added 12 on four 3-pointers for sixth-seeded Western Kentucky (20-15), which repeated its dramatic conference tournament run of a year ago to crack the NCAA field for the fourth time in six seasons.

The Golden Panthers made a frantic late-game push after trailing by eight with 1:27 to play. Four straight free throws by Bell and a basket by Frink pulled Florida International within two with 26.5 seconds left. Crook made three of four free throws down the stretch to give Western Kentucky a five-point edge with 5.7 seconds left.

The Hilltoppers led by two at halftime and increased their lead to 44-36 on a 3-pointer by Harris with 13:10 to play. Florida International trailed by three with less than three minutes remaining before a 5-0 run capped by Crookâs jumper gave Western Kentucky a 62-54 lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The 20-win season is the 41st in Western Kentucky history, which ranks sixth in NCAA annals. â¦ The elder Pitino was in attendance to see if his 30-year-old son could lead Florida International to its second NCAA Tournament appearance. â¦ Both teams put together 11-0 runs in the first half as the Hilltoppers took a 31-29 lead into the break.